Flat panel displays, including flat panel televisions, computer displays, and displays used for digital signage have become far less expensive in recent years leading to the deployment of such devices in a multitude of unconventional physical locations, including exterior locations where they are exposed to the elements. For example, it is not unusual for flat panel televisions to be deployed in residential applications in the backyard near the family grill or overlooking the pool.
Unsurprisingly, products have been constructed to enclose these devices and shield them from the elements. Unfortunately, most have the same shortcomings, to wit: 1) They are made primarily of metal, metal and plastic, or even wood; and, 2) They are heavy, thus requiring that that they be mounted directly to a wall or other structure capable of bearing their weight and thus prohibiting their use with the standard ceiling and wall mounting systems commonly used to mount flat-panel displays today; and, 3) Because of the weight and complexity they are expensive.
To address these shortcomings, products constructed of lightweight plastic material have been developed. While such enclosures may be suitable for small flat-panel displays, when “scaled” to enclose the larger flat-panel displays now commonly available, such simple enclosures do not possess sufficient structural rigidity to adequately protect the flat-panel display. The principal difficulty arises because the use of readily available prefabricated light plastic material results in a relatively flimsy enclosure that deforms and warps easily, thus compromising the weatherproof nature of the enclosure. Moreover, because one large side of the enclosure must be constructed of some transparent material, such as polycarbonate, any warping of the enclosure also affects the optical clarity of the polycarbonate, thus distorting the image generated by the enclosed display. By using thicker, heavier plastic, such devices can be made with increased structural rigidity, but consequently such devices are heavier and more expensive to manufacture and mount.
Numerous alternative approaches have been disclosed. For example, products have been constructed that seek to increase the structural rigidity of the case by completely encasing the flat-panel display in a semi-permanently sealed box made of interlocking polycarbonate or plastic panels or the like. Such a device is disclosed by U.S. App. 2012/0120625. While certainly rigid, these devices are by no means lightweight. Other inventions disclose other types of semi-permanently sealed devices. Specifically, U.S. App. 2012/0039042 and U.S. App. 2012/0092818 both disclose devices in which the viewing element is adhesively sealed to the containing element and the flat-panel display is sealed within. While the inventions disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 8,081,267 and U.S. Pat. No. 8,102,483 do not permanently seal the device within, they offer no easy means of ingress for maintenance or adjustment of the enclosed flat-panel display. These sealed devices are thus unsuitable for ordinary consumer and home use. To provide an improved means for ingress and access, U.S. App. 2009/0231807 discloses a device that has a flip-up front panel for accessing the flat-panel display within. Unfortunately, this device is constructed of a multitude of parts and is quite heavy thus making it impractical if not mounted directly to a wall. Today, flat-panel displays are mounted in a wide variety of locations, both directly attached to walls and “free-standing” hanging from ceiling mounts and wall mounts. Finally, all of the above inventions contain numerous constituent parts and are costly to manufacture.
Accordingly, one goal of the present invention is to provide a device to enclose and protect a flat-panel display that is both simple to manufacture, inexpensive, and lightweight and yet rigidly constructed such that it does not easily warp or deform. A second goal of the present invention is to provide a hinged transparent viewing panel thus providing a convenient means of accessing the interior of the enclosure to mount, adjust, and maintain the flat panel display mounted within. A third goal of the present invention is to ensure that the requisite transparent viewing pane remains planar and that the requisite elastomeric seal between the transparent viewing panel and the body of the device is continuously and evenly compressed between the viewing pane and the body of the device thus ensuring that the enclosed flat-panel display is completely protected from the elements.